Mongo Santamaria

• 180 GRAM VINYL

• LIMITED CLASSIC EDITION

• 5 STARS ALL MUSIC GUIDE

Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man was a gigantic hit for Mongo Santamaria in 1962, doing for him in the '60s what Pérez Prado's big mambo hits did for him in the '50s. Naturally, then, the follow-up LP to the single is devoted to 12 airplay-length tracks loaded with bright, swinging Latin cha-chas and mambo rhythms mixed with blues, soul, and jazz, presumably suitable for twisting the night away. Rodgers Grant's piano supplies a good deal of the harmonic foundation of jazz, with the help of an occasional jazz solo from saxes Pat Patrick and Bobby Capers, while Marty Sheller's commanding party-time trumpet rides above Santamaria's thundering congas. In this setting, even the venerable "The Peanut Vendor" is brought right up to date.

PERSONNEL:

• Mongo Santamaria - conga, drums
• Marty Sheller - trumpet
• Bobby Capers, Pat Patrick - saxes
• Mauricio Smith - flute
• Rodgers Grant - piano
• Victor Venegas - bass
• Ray Lucas - drums

New York, December 17, 1962

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1 Watermelon Man
• A2 Funny Money
• A3 Cut That Cane!
• A4 Get The Money
• A5 The Boogie Cha Cha Blues
• A6 Don't Bother Me No More

• SIDE B
• B1 Love, Oh Love
• B2 Yeh-Yeh!
• B3 The Peanut Vendor
• B4 Go Git It!
• B5 Bayou Roots
• B6 Suavito